RE: Cobb County

George wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
And if you then argue that Satan is in fact subservient to God then you are
right back to the problem that Dave points out - that God is (albeit through
the agency of Satan) deceitful .

Don P:
I understand the logical process of this statement, but I must point out
that I am subservient to God. And, while I may be evil, deceitful and down
right nasty to people, that does not make God that way. Satan's actions or
misleadings are not the direct responsibility of God. Just as God does not
stop me from doing wrong, except when it serves his greater purpose, I
believe that he does not stop Satan unless it serves his purpose to do so.
We see things in our little realm of existence and cannot see otherwise.
God of course sees all and knows what is best, even if that means leaving
things to fend for themselves.

Don P

  Shalom
  George
  http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Vernon Jenkins
    To: D. F. Siemens, Jr.
    Cc: asa@calvin.edu
    Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 7:29 PM
    Subject: Re: Cobb County

    Dave,

    Your email of 17 Jan included the following: "If the Creator produced
this universe about 6000 years ago so that any rational observer thinks it
is billions of years old, he is deliberately deceitful. Bluntly, your deity
is a liar." A serious charge, indeed. You later go on to say, "I do
vigorously oppose scientism, materialism, dogmatic naturalism, all positions
which deny the God who is Truth.", and I am thus encouraged to offer a brief
scriptural defence of my position.

     It seems to me that the one biblical character Christians find it
hardest to talk about - or even acknowledge - is Satan. Yet our Lord
describes him as "...the prince of this world..." (Jn.14:30) and "...a liar,
and the father of it." (Jn.8:44). The apostles also warn us of him - notably
in Eph.6:11 where Paul, speaking to believers, writes, "Put on the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Yes, Satan - our adversary (1Pet.5:8) - is a real and powerful being;
nevertheless, he is subservient to God (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-6) - and it appears
that he is there, _unintentionally_ performing an important role in the
unfathomable purposes of God.

    Now, on the basis of these revelations, one has to ask why many
Christians appear to believe that a consideration of the _physical_
evidences alone is sufficient to sustain the confident claims made in
respect of the age of the earth and God's method of creating. The answer is
again to be found in the Scriptures where we read "...for the imagination of
man's heart is evil from his youth..." (Gen.8:21)

    To summarise: my God is no liar; His word is true in its entirety. In
believing differently, you have failed to heed its clear warnings and, in my
view, have become embroiled in a gross deception. An eminent evangelical
theologian here in the UK has described Darwin's, The Origin of Species as
"more responsible for undermining people's faith and belief in the
Scriptures, and in God's way of salvation, than any other single book." What
a coup for Satan that was! - mass delusion on a world-wide scale - yet, in
the wisdom of God, permitted, so that His sovereign purposes might be
fulfilled.
Received on Wed Jan 19 23:43:29 2005